Dear friends and family,
The last couple days have been tiring but also really good for me, and I'm excited to share with you!! Thankfully my stomach virus was gone just in time for our trip to the orphanage (praise God), and I'm so thankful for that.
On Thursday morning, Ellie and I took a very adrenaline packed 3 hour car ride to the Home of Joy orphanage in a province outside of Manila. When we arrived, the staff had a two hour long prayer meeting and luncheon that we were invited to participate in, and afterwards we got some groceries at an SM (supermarket/mall) close by. We were also shown a little guest house which was cute and rustic right across from the orphanage, and we got our stuff settled.
By that time Ellie and I were pretty excited to finally see the kids. There were three babies, three toddlers at around 2, two girls with some disabilities, and one six-year-old boy Francis who is getting adopted in the fall. Princess is the sweetest little girl ever, and although she's one of the most independent toddlers I've seen, she really warmed up to us near the end and gave us a hug before we left. Prince and Moses are also really cute and affectionate, and the babies are really adorable. It was a huge privilege to be able to spend time with them all and show them God's love.
We got to spend most of our time on Friday with the kids. They wake up at 6am, so we were up early on Friday morning to spend time with them. Another family was visiting briefly and they brought toys and candy for all the kids, which was special. Francis is learning English so I enjoyed getting to talk to him and teach him how to write words like "cat" and "car". Mostly we just played with the children with their toys, carried them around and let them sit in our laps, and helped them color and eat meals. During the afternoon, they take a short nap, so Ellie and I were able to rest up.
I'll be honest and say that the time at the orphanage was probably the most draining part of my trip so far, just because we had to be fully present and engaged with the children to make sure they didn't hurt themselves or the other kids and to show care and gentleness to them all. We also had to be patient with them if they were whiny or tired, which was physically tiring. But today it was hard to say goodbye and to give last hugs and kisses to each child. The children are so sweet and even though it wasn't easy to help in the orphanage, God gave me His strength and love for the children. I'll miss them all so much, and I really hope I'll get to see them some day.
Please pray with me for their adoption and for Francis as he transitions to a new family in the fall. Pray that these little ones will someday get to know Jesus and to love Him. Pray also for them physically as some of them suffer from seizures that the Lord would keep them safe.
While writing this, God is reminding me about how beautiful adoption is. How we spiritually were once orphans, without a family. But God, being rich in mercy, has adopted us into His family and we can know call Him Abba Father, our closest Friend. And that to me is just wonderful and mindblowing. That I was able to physically love children without families who care for them in an imperfect way of how God loves us. I pray one day Princess, Prince, Moses, April, Gian, JM, Francis, Dorcas, and Honey will be able to call God their Heavenly Father and recognize the wonderful family they have in Christ.
Adoption is a wonderful thing and I am reminded of how blessed I am to have the God who created the stars and who has written each of our life stories as my Abba Father and to be part of His family. This trip stretched me and taught me to depend on God and to fall more in love with His design of adoption, and I'm glad I was able to share this experience with Ellie and to share stories and life lessons and laugh and serve together. It's been a real blessing and I'm learning more and growing closer to the Lord each day, and I'm so full of memories made and thankfulness for what Christ is doing in me and in the Philippines.
Amanda
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